Layers of Meaning

Therese May - quilting with energy

Therese May is a self taught quilter who has let restrictions on neatness pass her right by. Instead she has focused on the energy and expression of quilting. Her pieces are heavily embellished, almost folk art-like, though she admits an early influence of Andy Warhol.
In an interview with Quilters’ S.O.S. Project, May states: "I got my degree in art in painting and then I got married and had these two little kids and I just started sewing a lot and before I knew it I was making pictures with the fabric. And I've always been really talented, you know, in art but I was a housewife. I wasn't thinking about an art career or anything like that. I just thought I was having a good time with fabric." Eureka - the reason that we all should be creating art!

May's pieces are surprising large, given the intensity of the embellishment. Her page of works for sale at her website shows her small works at 19" X 22". Her larger pieces measure out to be 92" X 50". (She doesn't list the weight on any.) A video clip at Do It Yourself (click the media link) has a short interview with May and lots of images of her at work, fearlessly painting directly on the quilt surface.

image: "CUP-O-WURMS", 60"X65" by Therese May